The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
| The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Gavin Scott |
| Starring |
Michael Praed Francesca Hunt Michel Courtemanche Chris Demetral |
| Opening theme | The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne Theme by Nick Glennie-Smith |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom Canada |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Nicolas Clermont Pierre de Lespinois Neil Dunn Michael Huffington Richard Jackson Gavin Scott |
| Running time | 60 min. |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBC and syndicated |
| Original release | June 18 – December 16, 2000 |
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne is a 22-episode science fiction television series in the steampunk genre that first aired in June 2000 on CBC Television in Canada. The series first ran in the United States on cable on The Sci-Fi Channel (now Syfy).
The plot concept is predicated on a vast fictional conspiracy beginning with the revelation that Jules Verne did not merely write the stories behind his famous science fiction classic books Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth or Around the World in Eighty Days — but actually experienced these adventures personally.
A television technological historic footnote, this work was the first hour-long series filmed entirely in HDTV format.
Jules Verne is a struggling author who joins Phileas, Rebecca, and Passepartout after a chance encounter. Phileas leads the group. Dapper, daring, intelligent, brash, and arrogant, Praed described him as essentially a more flawed version of James Bond. Rebecca Fogg is his second cousin; it is clear that Phileas and Rebecca are attracted to one another, but it remains platonic. Passepartout is Phileas' valet, and an accomplished inventor/mechanician. Although Phileas treats Passepartout very poorly (at least by today's standards), the servant is a valued member of the crew.
The group's only recurring enemy is the League of Darkness, an international terrorist organization aiming to use steampunk technology to rule the world. Its leader: Count Gregory (Rick Overton), a steampunk cyborg who originally died 500 years ago.
Most episodes took advantage of both the Wold Newton family and metafictional possibilities of the premise. Mark Twain, the Holy Grail, and Cardinal Richelieu (played by Michael Praed) all made appearances.
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